Volleyball opens Ivy slate against Elis

After career-ending injury to Kellogg ’17, Bears aim to beat defending champs in first conference match

Payton Smith ’17 and McKenna Webster ’16 prepare for the Bears to serve. The Bears lost seven of their 11 matches before the start of Ivy play, and will be tested by the defending conference champions in their opener.

The women’s volleyball team (4-7) will take a shot at their first Ivy League match-up Friday against Yale with the Pizzitola as the backdrop.

The Bulldogs come into this conference season game as the defending Ivy League champions. But this season, they have an overall losing record, going 4-5 in non-conference match-ups, while Yale has been undefeated on the road.

Maryl Vanden Bos ’15 said the team has been preparing for this week’s Ivy League opener by watching film. In addition to this preparation, several team members have played against or with Yale opponents in their high school years as part of the robust California volleyball community. “We know how they play,” Vanden Bos said.

“They commit very few errors” and excel because they “keep the ball in play,” Vanden Bos said.

A win for the Bears will just be a question of consistency.

The Bears came out of last weekend’s invitational with a split, going 1-2. They proved themselves as a state powerhouse, defeating the University of Rhode Island in a tight 3-1 win. Shannon Frost ’16 helped secure the victory with a double-double, completing 11 kills and 13 digs against the Rams.

Last weekend’s competition was not marked solely by wins and losses, but also with the end of a career. Stephanie Kellogg ’17 suffered her fourth concussion and was told by doctors that she could no longer play. But she said she will still be with her teammates in spirit at their upcoming games.